Tech Focus: Audio-Mixing Consoles, Part 1 - At-Home Production, IP Transport Are Key Trends Basic console functionality will change as the technologies are increasingly linked By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, July 13, 2017 - 11:30 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Two trends of potentially tectonic significance are affecting the evolution of the broadcast-audio console. The shift to so-called at-home, or REMI (remote integration), production is largely a case in which economics is driving workflow, in the process asking the mix console to do its job from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. At the same time, the entire broadcast industry has been migrating toward IP for signal transport, with audio, video, and control signals increasingly intertwined on networks. Manufacturers are adapting to both trends at varying paces, but all agree that basic console functionality will be altered.
Calrec, which continues to dominate remote-production market at the major-broadcast-network level, has recently accelerated its activities in both at-home production and IP. At NAB 2017 in April, the company showcased four new networking products: AES67/RAVENNA and AVB interfaces, a modular I/O Dante card with AES67 compatibility, and a SMPTE 2022-6 video interface. Calrec also introduced the RP1 remote-production engine, a 2RU core with integrated FPGA-based DSP enabling a console surface at another facility to control all mixing functionality, including IFB routing and remote-monitor mixes.
At-home production carries risks for the remote-production sector in general, potentially decreasing the need for the expensive, sophisticated trucks used for major sports productions. Given its market position, Calrec saw this as the right time to introduce the RP1, according to VP, Sales, Dave Letson.
There is risk since it's such a major change in workflow, but we also see it as an opportunity, as there will also be a need for more content, he explains, adding that that can come from a wider range of sports productions created for distribution on a broader array of consumer devices. There's tremendous potential there, although, as an industry, we're not quite there yet.
Letson notes that Calrec has a dozen RP1 units in the field, including with Sky Sports, doing proof-of-concept demos. Lately, [remote-production techniques and technology] have been the first thing that customers want to talk about.
As for IP signal transport, Calrec has embraced the entire array of major solutions available, using the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) roadmap as a guide. It's been several years of competing standards, and we still can't see any one winning, so we decided a year and a half ago to support multiple standards, Letson explains. The long-term strategy is to keep the console at the center of the process, as the hub.
Chris Fichera, VP, audio, Group One Ltd., which distributes Calrec and DiGiCo consoles in North America (Calrec, DiGiCo, and Allen & Heath collaborate through a joint venture), cites the new SD12 console and new Orange Box interface as examples of how the company is adapting to IP signal distribution: slowly and from the bottom up.
DiGiCo SD12 mixing console
We're seeing activity in terms of trucks being designed around IP transport, from NEP and Game Creek, though those aren't being used for major events yet, and Notre Dame is building an entire IP infrastructure, he says. But, as an industry, we're not there yet. We haven't crossed the barrier yet, and we're about five years away from that.
Fichera says the major networks are understandably cautious about jumping into the deep end with IP as the primary signal-transport modality: You go live and something happens to a packet, how fast can you get that taken care of? No one really knows yet. He cites reported interruptions with the live stream of the latest Super Bowl by Fox Sports and Comcast as reasons that the major networks are eyeing IP warily: We're still in the fiber game when it comes to connectivity, but we're watching IP closely.
The Two Trends Converge
Lawo has arguably been the most assertive when it comes to remote-production deployment. At EURO 2016, in what the company speculates may have been the largest-scale IP sports-broadcast deployment to date, its V_remote4 technology was used for the video and audio from 10 venues to the IBC in Paris, all based on a fully IP-based backbone. Other Lawo IP-based systems have reportedly been used by NBC Sports for Formula 1 races in Austin, TX, and by Fox Sports for the Americas Cup.
According to Head of Sales/Americas Jeffrey Str essner, Lawo sees IP signal transport (audio, video, and control signals) and at-home workflows as deeply intertwined. That is where the at-home-production scenario becomes most efficient, when paired with IP. he explains. Some of the workflows that make production efficient by centralizing production are not even possible without the utilization of IP technology.
Although broadcast sports is a perfect candidate for rapid adoption of these converged trends, Str essner acknowledges that it could take two or three years for sports to reach the level of implementation seen in other areas of media production, such as ingest, replay, and archiving. That's due to the industry's historic and implicit caution about adopting new platforms.
I've done a few Olympics now, he says, and, once you've watched an Opening Ceremony being watched live by millions of people, you realize why broadcasters are not to eager for trial and error on that.
However, he adds, broadcast's economics makes IP's uptake inevitable: It will be used more and more at lower levels, at college and amateur sports [shows], and that will prove that it's reliable as well as efficient.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Tech Focus: Audio-Mixing Consoles, Part 1 - At-Home Production, IP Transport Are Key Trends Basic console functionality will change as the technologies are increasingly linked By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
